1 Sentence to Describe Every MLB Team in May
With May winding down, it's becoming increasingly clear which teams are legitimate World Series contenders in 2024 and what the remaining clubs need to do to improve their futures.
The Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles look to be championship contenders. The Atlanta Braves deserve to be mentioned, but quite a bit has gone wrong for them this season.
The Cleveland Guardians, Kansas City Royals and Milwaukee Brewers are off to tremendous starts, but it's fair to wait a bit longer before inserting them into the World Series discussion.
After that, there's a lot of mediocre and even more bad. And there's a lot of terrible. You could realistically watch the Chicago White Sox, Miami Marlins, Los Angeles Angels or Colorado Rockies and feel like you're seeing the worst team in the sport.
So, as May concludes, here's one sentence to describe each of the 30 clubs as the second month of the season closes.
Arizona Diamondbacks
1 of 30
One Sentence Summary: Underperforming stars need to heat up.
It was a reasonable take coming into the season that the Diamondbacks—last year's National League champions—had a chance to be a significantly better regular-season team than they were in 2023. They had won 84 games and snuck into the playoffs as the senior circuit's last wild-card representative.
But that hasn't materialized to this point, and it's largely due to underperforming stars.
NL Rookie of the Year Corbin Carroll has just a .543 OPS, while veterans Eugenio Suárez and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. have also struggled. From a pitching sense, offseason signee Jordan Montgomery hasn't had the expected impact.
There's still plenty of time for the D-backs to heat up and make the postseason as a wild card in 2024, but they've been one of baseball's most disappointing teams so far this year.
Atlanta Braves
2 of 30
One Sentence Summary: There seems to be a lot of bad signs.
The Braves have won six consecutive NL East titles, but that streak appears to be in real jeopardy, and not just because the Philadelphia Phillies look like they could win 100 games.
Spencer Strider had already been lost for the season after undergoing an internal brace procedure on his pitching elbow, and now the Braves will be without NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. after he tore his ACL.
The good news is the lineup recently welcomed back Austin Riley from the injured list, and history tells us that Matt Olson, last year's NL home run leader, is going to heat up after a disappointing start.
Still, questions persist with Atlanta.
The Braves are leaning quite a bit on Max Fried and Chris Sale, two excellent lefties but ones with injury histories of their own.
Reynaldo López has been a tremendous addition to the starting rotation, but he's already logged more than 50 innings. Given he pitched out of the bullpen the last few seasons, that's a ton, because he hasn't racked up over 66 innings since 2019.
Even with things not going their way, the Braves are good enough to win one of the three wild-card spots. But after a pair of disappointing postseason exits, it doesn't feel like they are going to be set up better for October baseball in 2024.
Baltimore Orioles
3 of 30
One Sentence Summary: The 2024 season should be the first of many deep playoff runs.
The Orioles are in the thick of a tremendous race with the New York Yankees atop the AL East, but because of the incredible player-development job done by general manager Mike Elias, they should have as much staying power as any contender.
Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, Jordan Westburg, Colton Cowser, Grayson Rodriguez and Kyle Bradish are all 27 years old or younger. Baltimore still has the top farm system in baseball and the expectation that 2022 No. 1 overall pick Jackson Holliday will be a star despite a rough first MLB stint.
This is a team built to win a World Series in 2024, but it's also set up to be at the forefront of the discussion in 2025, 2026, 2027 and beyond, particularly if the new ownership group re-signs ace Corbin Burnes and shows more financial commitment than the Angelos family did.
Boston Red Sox
4 of 30
One Sentence Summary: Imagine how good Boston would be if ownership was as committed as it used to be.
There's a story to be told about why Red Sox ownership fired Dave Dombrowski less than a year after winning 108 games and a World Series and stopped spending like one of the deepest-pocketed teams in the sport.
Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford have pitched at All-Star levels at least this season, but injuries to Lucas Giolito, Triston Casas and Masataka Yoshida haven't helped a team that can't realistically compete in the loaded AL East.
John Henry's ownership group owes it to the fanbase to either start spending like the Red Sox again next offseason or to sell the team to someone who will.
Chicago Cubs
5 of 30
One Sentence Summary: The best is yet to come.
Outside of dominant starts by Shōta Imanaga and Javier Assad, the Cubs have been rather pedestrian. But they might still be the best bet to win the NL Central.
Craig Counsell's team has survived injured-list stints from ace Justin Steele and outfielders Cody Bellinger and Seiya Suzuki. And it's realistic to think Christopher Morel and Dansby Swanson are both going to get better results at the plate as the season goes along.
However, this is a team with some pitching and lineup holes that need to be addressed before the July 30 trade deadline. But they've been able to tread water to this point amid a horrific offensive slump, and that could prove crucial as their roster improves throughout the season.
Chicago White Sox
6 of 30
One Sentence Summary: It's hard to quantify how far away this team is from contention.
Just a few years ago, the White Sox seemed set up to be regular contenders, but things have unraveled quickly, and it might take general manager Chris Getz multiple seasons to get the roster ready to contend.
Veterans Tommy Pham and Erick Fedde will draw trade interest this summer, but neither is likely to bring back a franchise-altering return. Luis Robert is probably the only player in the organization who would move the needle in a trade, but the 26-year-old has missed most of the season with a right hip flexor injury.
The good news is that the White Sox entered the season with the No. 3 farm system in baseball, per B/R's Joel Reuter. But even if developed properly—which shouldn't be taken for granted—it will be a while before Colson Montgomery, Noah Schultz and Drew Thorpe come of age at the MLB level.
Cincinnati Reds
7 of 30
One Sentence Summary: Cincinnati has underperformed, but the long-term core pieces have impressed.
On one hand, the Reds are in last place in the very winnable NL Central, a disappointing development for a team that was a trendy postseason pick before the campaign started.
On the other hand, Elly De La Cruz, Andrew Abbott and Hunter Greene have all impressed and look to be building blocks. De La Cruz leads baseball in stolen bases, and he looks the part of one of the most electric young stars in MLB.
Injuries to Matt McLain, TJ Friedl and Nick Lodolo have hurt the Reds, as have disappointing performances from veterans Frankie Montas and Jeimer Candelario, but they should be encouraged about their long-term prospects with De La Cruz, Abbott and Greene leading the way.
Cleveland Guardians
8 of 30
One Sentence Summary: Stephen Vogt has inherited the Terry Francona culture.
For many years under Terry Francona, Cleveland got away with not spending because of great player development and a tremendous culture. And there has been a carryover in Vogt's first year as skipper.
José Ramírez is one of the hottest hitters in baseball right now, while Josh Naylor and David Fry have given Cleveland more thump than it appeared to have coming into the season.
We'll see whether the starting rotation has enough guys to last over a full season without Shane Bieber, but the bullpen trio of Emmanuel Clase, Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith has been dominant.
Mike Matheny was initially able to maintain the St. Louis Cardinals culture when Tony La Russa retired following their World Series title in 2011. But as they moved further away from the Hall of Fame skipper, the next-man-up culture withered.
Trying to avoid that in Cleveland will be a challenge for Vogt, but it's all going well so far.
Colorado Rockies
9 of 30
One Sentence Summary: At least Coors Field is beautiful.
Every year, there are a handful of teams who, for all intents and purposes, are just participating. Under Dick Monfort's ownership, the Rockies seem to be a regular part of that group, playing 162 games every year without any real postseason hopes.
This year, though, Austin Gomber and Elias Díaz are both having career years, while Ryan McMahon remains a strong third baseman and shortstop Ezequiel Tovar might be a building block at shortstop.
Still, this is a team that perpetually doesn't have enough pitching, has an albatross of a contract on its hands with Kris Bryant and probably brought back Charlie Blackmon one too many times.
Coors Field is one of the nicest stadiums in baseball, though, and the Rockies continue to draw well despite a lack of commitment from ownership to winning. So, there's that at least.
Detroit Tigers
10 of 30
One Sentence Summary: The Tigers have playoff-caliber pitching, without a playoff-caliber lineup.
Tarik Skubal has been perhaps the best starter in the American League this season, and the Tigers seem to have hit a home run by signing Jack Flaherty to a one-year deal.
But even with an encouraging starting pitching trio that also includes 24-year-old Reese Olson, the Tigers may not have enough firepower to seriously contend for the postseason in 2024.
Right fielder Kerry Carpenter has a .916 OPS but is the only Detroit player with an OPS over .775. Spencer Torkelson has struggled badly after showing signs of a breakout in 2023, and it doesn't seem like the old version of Javier Báez will ever return at this point.
Carpenter, Riley Greene and Mark Canha are all having strong seasons, and there's still time for Torkelson and rookie second basemen Colt Keith to develop into building blocks.
But the Tigers seem like a team that needs to make multiple major additions to its lineup, which will probably require CEO Christopher Ilitch to open the checkbook this offseason.
Houston Astros
11 of 30
One Sentence Summary: They might still be able to contend in 2024, but a retooling is in order.
Despite a disastrous start to the season, the Astros could well end up competing for the 2024 AL West title because the Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners are both flawed clubs, while the Los Angeles Angels and Oakland Athletics are just bad.
But next offseason might be an inflection point for general manager Dana Brown.
Alex Bregman can become a free agent in the winter, and they'll have a decision to make on future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander's $35 million option if it doesn't vest at 140 innings pitched in 2024.
Additionally, both Framber Valdez and Kyle Tucker can become free agents after the 2025 seasons, and if the team doesn't feel like it will be able to retain one or both, trading them to restock the organization with young talent will have to be a consideration.
It may only take 88 or so wins to capture the AL West title in 2024, which might delay some hard conversations internally for the Astros, but those conversations are coming.
Kansas City Royals
12 of 30
One Sentence Summary: The Royals have been one of baseball's most enjoyable teams in 2024.
Can the Royals go from a 56-win team in 2023 to the postseason in 2024? It appears to be a distinct possibility, as they are playing at a high enough clip to be a factor both in the AL Central and AL wild-card races.
J.J. Picollo was one of the most active general managers last offseason, and while he hasn't hit on all of his signings, the addition of Seth Lugo on a three-year, $45 million deal looks like one of the best bargains of the offseason.
Lugo and Cole Ragans have given the Royals a tremendous one-two punch.
Offensively, franchise icon Salvador Perez appears on track for his ninth All-Star Game appearance, where he'll be joined by Bobby Witt Jr.
Do the Royals have enough around Perez and Witt offensively to win 90-plus games this year? Time will tell. But Picollo and manager Matt Quatraro have done a tremendous job changing the culture in Kansas City quickly.
Los Angeles Angels
13 of 30
One Sentence Summary: Ron Washington has to regret taking this job.
When the Angels hired Washington as their manager this offseason, it felt like he was long overdue to get a second chance to lead a club, after previously winning two AL pennants with the Texas Rangers.
But Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon are again going to miss substantial chunks of the season, and Reuter has their farm system ranked dead-last in baseball. Times are dark for the Halos, and there doesn't appear to be light at the end of the tunnel.
As the cliche goes, there are only 30 MLB managerial jobs available, and at 72 years old, Washington probably viewed the Angels as his last shot to be a skipper again.
But wouldn't staying in Atlanta, where he was a beloved third-base coach, have been more fun than leading one of the most dysfunctional franchises in the game?
Los Angeles Dodgers
14 of 30
One Sentence Summary: Anything short of a World Series win will be a disappointment.
Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Will Smith represent one of the greatest lineup quartets ever assembled, and it will likely mean the Dodgers win over 100 games for the fourth consecutive season.
But there are still some legitimate questions with this team, though, on top of its recent track record of coming up short in the postseason.
It seems hard to imagine anyone being able to stop this type of lineup in a short series, but there are real concerns to be had about the durability of the starting rotation, and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman will need to add at least one starting outfielder before the trade deadline.
The regular season is going smoothly for the Dodgers, and Betts and Ohtani will anchor this lineup for the foreseeable future. But Freeman will turn 35 in September, while Teoscar Hernández might be one-and-done in L.A.
The Dodgers may never have a better lineup than this, and that will make it especially painful if they don't produce a World Series title.
Miami Marlins
15 of 30
One Sentence Summary: Skip Schumaker is counting down the days until this season ends.
The writing was on the wall when Skip Schumaker requested his club option for 2025 to be declined and received it from the Marlins following the departure of general manager Kim Ng.
And the way the season has played out has only solidified that the reigning NL Manager of the Year will likely be elsewhere next season.
A year after he helped guide a team with a minus-57 run differential to 84 wins and a playoff berth, so much has gone wrong for the Marlins that Schumaker couldn't possibly have had success with this group.
An already-poor lineup lost Jorge Soler, and the offseason addition of Tim Anderson has been a flop. New president of baseball operations Peter Bendix traded reigning NL batting champion Luis Arráez to the San Diego Padres this month, giving up on the season before Memorial Day. Oh, and righty Edward Cabrera is on the injured list, along with Sandy Alcántara and Eury Pérez, who are recovering from Tommy John surgery.
There's a very real chance that Schumaker will be managing somewhere in 2024, perhaps with the team he most notably played for: the St. Louis Cardinals. But he's not going to be back in Miami, where he's playing out a joyless season.
Milwaukee Brewers
16 of 30
One Sentence Summary: Will they have enough pitching to get across the finish line?
The Brewers have played well in Pat Murphy's first season as manager, and they find themselves in first place in the NL Central despite being without the three-best pitchers on their team from a year ago.
Corbin Burnes was traded to the Baltimore Orioles during spring training. Two-time All-Star Brandon Woodruff is out for the season as he recovers from shoulder surgery. And Devin Williams—one of the most dominant relievers in the sport—has yet to pitch as he rehabs two stress fractures that were discovered in his back just a couple weeks before the regular season started.
Williams could be in play during the second half of the campaign, which would be a massive development considering he is a two-time Trevor Hoffman Award winner as the NL's best reliever. But the Milwaukee bullpen has been dominant without him, thanks to strong seasons from Trevor Megill, Bryan Hudson, Hoby Milner and Elvis Peguero.
The starting rotation is a bigger concern. Freddy Peralta and Colin Rea have been good but not great. If this team is going to not only make the playoffs but also have a chance to do damage in the postseason, general manager Matt Arnold is probably going to have to acquire multiple starting pitchers.
Will Milwaukee be willing to pony up the prospect capital needed to get them, though?
Minnesota Twins
17 of 30
One Sentence Summary: The pitching needs to be better.
This one is pretty simple. The Twins lost 2023 AL Cy Young Award runner-up Sonny Gray in free agency to the St. Louis Cardinals.
They still seemed set up to have a pretty strong rotation, but that hasn't materialized so far.
While Joe Ryan has rebounded from a relatively disappointing 2023 campaign, Pablo López, Chris Paddack and Bailey Ober all have ERAs north of 4.30 currently.
Additionally, while closer Jhoan Durán hasn't blown any saves since returning from the injured list, he has a 3.86 ERA and 5.70 FIP in 12 games this year. That's a far cry from the dominance he showed over his first two MLB seasons, when he posted a 2.15 ERA and 2.85 FIP across 116 appearances.
If Rocco Baldelli's club wants to have a chance to catch the Cleveland Guardians and Kansas City Royals, they're going to need much better pitching.
New York Mets
18 of 30
One Sentence Summary: A decision on Pete Alonso is looming.
A brutal May has made it clear that even with three wild-card spots up for grabs, this isn't a year that the Mets should add in advance of the trade deadline.
In fact, first-year president of baseball operations David Stearns is probably going to subtract, it's just a matter of to what extent.
DH J.D. Martinez, reliever Adam Ottavino and RHP Luis Severino are players on expiring contracts who are obvious trade candidates.
The bigger question is what will be done with slugging first baseman Pete Alonso? He can become a free agent after the season, and contenders like the Chicago Cubs, Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Guardians, Seattle Mariners and Kansas City Royals all make sense as possible landing spots.
What does Stearns—who has admitted the 29-year-old will likely reach free agency—think the future holds? Are the Mets prepared to meet what will be a very high asking price from agent Scott Boras this upcoming offseason?
Owner Steve Cohen has the funds to do so. But if the Mets plan to spend their money differently, there's an argument to be made for trading Alonso this summer and recouping young talent.
The Mets could trade Alonso and attempt to re-sign him in free agency, although that rarely seems to actually happen. If they let the three-time All-Star go, there's a good chance they won't get him back.
New York Yankees
19 of 30
One Sentence Summary: If Gerrit Cole returns to Cy Young form, the Yankees are a legitimate World Series contender.
The one-two punch of Aaron Judge and Juan Soto is as good as any in the sport, but it's not the only reason Aaron Boone's squad has been able to play tremendous baseball over the first two months without reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole.
Giancarlo Stanton, Nestor Cortes and Carlos Rodón have all had bounce-back seasons, while shortstop Anthony Volpe has been one of the breakout stars of the first two months.
If this team gets back the version of Cole that was the best pitcher in baseball over the five previous seasons—which shouldn't be taken for granted when you're talking about an elbow injury—at some point this summer, they will be set up to make a run at their first World Series title since 2009.
Oakland Athletics
20 of 30
One Sentence Summary: The fans in Oakland deserve better.
In what will likely be the final summer of baseball in Oakland, fans have been treated to an incredible show by breakout closer Mason Miller.
But considering the A's are going to play at least the next three seasons in Sacramento and the elbows of pitchers who throw 100-plus mph are volatile, it's not clear if he will even be with the team for the rest of the season.
There's a real argument to be made if you're general manager David Forst for trading Miller now. His value will probably never be higher. But that logic is rooted in the fact that the A's have dismantled their roster the last few years.
And with a stadium in Las Vegas not set to be ready until 2028 at the earliest, owner John Fisher probably isn't going to allow the front office to build a competitive team during Miller's window.
It all comes back to Fisher, who has alienated the Bay Area fanbase without even a guarantee that he has a stadium that's going to be built in Vegas. History won't look kindly on him working backward from his conclusion to move the team nor the league that stood by and allowed it to happen.
For Miller's sake, maybe he'll get traded somewhere that allows him to have a ninth-inning entrance and to contend.
Philadelphia Phillies
21 of 30
One Sentence Summary: The Phillies have gone from a World Series contender to World Series or bust.
The Phillies won the NL pennant in 2022 and lost in Game 7 of the NLCS in 2023. So, they definitely were a World Series contender entering the season.
But they've gone from looking like a 93-win team before the season to one on pace to win well over 100 games. With that, this is a team that will be disappointed with anything short of a parade to end the 2024 campaign.
A bulk of the core for the Phillies—Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Zack Wheeler, Kyle Schwarber, Aaron Nola and Trea Turner—is in their early-to-mid 30s.
Additionally, Ranger Suárez, Alec Bohm, Matt Strahm and Jeff Hoffman are all performing at All-Star levels in 2024. It's hard to think the Phillies will have a better chance to win a championship more than this season.
President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has been hesitant to part with notable prospect capital since coming to the Phillies.
But if it netted them a star closer or major upgrade in center field, would he part with some combination of RHP Mick Abel, outfielder Justin Crawford or third basemen Aidan Miller this summer?
It's going to have to be a serious consideration.
Pittsburgh Pirates
22 of 30
One Sentence Summary: The pitching is worth the price of admission, but is the offense?
The trio of Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller and Jared Jones should excite the Pirates, because not only is it must-watch right now, but with Keller's five-year, $77 million extension, it's also a group that could be together for a while.
Offensively, though, the Pirates don't have a postseason-caliber group. Bryan Reynolds is a nice player, but he's probably miscast as the biggest offensive threat on a team.
Predictably, offseason pickup Rowdy Tellez has struggled, as has another offseason signing in Michael A. Taylor. Former No. 1 overall pick Henry Davis had just a .486 OPS before he was optioned to Triple-A.
The player to watch remains Oneil Cruz. The raw tools are elite, but will he develop into a great player or just a Statcast darling who hits some tape-measure home runs? He has seven home runs this season but is second in the league in strikeouts and has just a .723 OPS.
Owner Bob Nutting doesn't typically authorize major expenditures, so the Pirates are reliant on drafting and developing their core pieces. General manager Ben Cherington has done a good job with the pitching staff. The jury remains out on the offense.
San Diego Padres
23 of 30
One Sentence Summary: There are stars, but is this a good team?
Robert Suarez has been one of the most dominant relievers in baseball this season, and Luis Arráez has been on a tear since being acquired by the Padres. Those two are part of a team that, even with the loss of Xander Bogaerts to a left shoulder fracture, is star-studded.
But are the Padres actually a good team? As they hover around .500, we don't yet know.
In the starting rotation, Dylan Cease and Yu Darvish have had strong seasons, but Joe Musgrove is fresh off the injured list, with right elbow inflammation having been a big part in the disastrous 6.14 ERA he has this year.
Offensively, Ha-Seong Kim has struggled after a career year in 2023, with Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado also underperforming to various extents. Bogaerts was also struggling before his injury, a particularly troubling development when you consider this is only the second season of an 11-year deal.
So, the Padres are a draw because they have a ton of big names. President of baseball operations A.J. Preller always makes sure of that.
However, there are still questions about how much better, if at all, this year's iteration of the Padres is than the 82-80 team in 2023.
San Francisco Giants
24 of 30
One Sentence Summary: The Giants are playing for Farhan Zaidi's job.
San Francisco is hovering around .500, and it's fair to wonder whether president of baseball operations Zaidi will retain his job if the Giants aren't able to return to the playoffs, given how attainable the three wild-card spots in the NL look.
Matt Chapman and Jordan Hicks have been strong additions, but the Giants haven't gotten what they paid for from Jorge Soler and Blake Snell to this point.
Soler—signed to be the first 30-plus home run hitter they have had since Barry Bonds—has an OPS south of .700. Snell, the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, has struggled over his first four starts with the team.
Under Zaidi, the Giants have often felt like they're trying to be the smartest team in the room. Granted, they made a serious push for Aaron Judge, and medical concerns derailed a Carlos Correa deal.
However, this team has lacked star power under Zaidi. Chapman, Snell and Soler were signed to provide some of that. So far, the returns have been mixed. And it still feels like the Giants are missing one or two superstars in their lineup.
Seattle Mariners
25 of 30
One Sentence Summary: The disparity in production between the rotation and lineup is jarring.
Seattle probably has the best starting rotation in the AL, with Logan Gilbert, Luis Castillo and Bryce Miller all having strong seasons, and George Kirby's 3.61 FIP suggesting he's been better than his 4.33 ERA would lead you to believe.
When you add in one of the game's best closers in Andrés Muñoz, this is a team with the pitching to make a deep playoff run.
Unfortunately, the lineup president of baseball operations Jerry DiPoto has constructed has scored the second-fewest runs of any in the AL.
Not only have offseason additions Mitch Garver, Jorge Polanco and Mitch Haniger flopped, but Julio Rodríguez and J.P. Crawford both also have OPSs under .700 currently.
It's a safe bet that Rodríguez is going to get going. But barring a complete in-season overhaul of the lineup, the Mariners' elite starting rotation might be sitting at home in October.
St. Louis Cardinals
26 of 30
One Sentence Summary: The window has closed.
The Cardinals may not be headed for a full-blown rebuild, but it seems like president of baseball operations John Mozeliak and manager Oli Marmol—assuming they retain their positions—might need to accept the Paul Goldschmidt/Nolan Arenado World Series window has closed.
That doesn't necessarily mean either couldn't still be part of a contending team in the coming years, but two years after winning NL MVP, Goldschmidt is having the worst season of his career, as the .291 career hitter is hitting under .220.
Given that Goldschmidt will turn 37 in September and can become a free agent after the season, the Cardinals probably need to begin to think about life after him. Arenado, meanwhile, has minus-4 defensive runs saved and OPS under .700 this season.
Rookie shortstop Masyn Winn looks like a budding star, Sonny Gray has been a strong addition to the rotation, and JoJo Romero has been a positive development out of the bullpen.
But this is a team that needs to try again in terms of overhauling its starting rotation while potentially considering trade offers for Goldschmidt and closer Ryan Helsley if it doesn't go on a heater in the coming weeks.
Tampa Bay Rays
27 of 30
One Sentence Summary: There's too much working against them this year.
The Rays have an entire starting rotation's worth of arms on the injured list, and that's not hyperbole. It's indicative of a season that just doesn't feel like it's going to end with a playoff appearance.
While Zach Eflin figures to return in the near future, two-time All-Star Shane McClanahan is out for the year as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. Drew Rasmussen and Jeffrey Springs are both working their way back from major surgeries as well, and they are joined on the IL by offseason-signee Jacob Waguespack.
Perhaps if the Rays had an elite offense they could overcome a devastating amount of pitching injuries. That's not the case, though, particularly with Randy Arozarena and Yandy Díaz underperforming.
No one is suggesting they are going to lose 90 games, heck, they might still finish with a winning record. But they seem on track to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2018.
Texas Rangers
28 of 30
One Sentence Summary: The vibes feel off.
There was a feeling entering the season that if the Rangers could tread water in the first half of the campaign, they'd be well set up to make a run at the AL West title and potentially a second consecutive World Series.
Especially when you consider how poor the AL West is, that path might still come to fruition. But it does seem like there's somewhat of a hangover from last year's postseason run.
Future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer's injury timeline keeps moving back. Two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom may well intend to return from Tommy John surgery and be a factor late this season, but recent history suggests it wouldn't be wise to bet on his health.
Tyler Mahle could join the rotation later in the season as well as he works his way back from his own TJ surgery, but he's currently on the IL, as are Nathan Eovaldi, Jon Gray and Josh Jung.
Elsewhere, Wyatt Langford's AL Rookie of the Year candidacy hasn't materialized. José Leclerc, Evan Carter and Jonah Heim are among the other Rangers who have disappointed to varying degrees.
The door is open for Texas to seize the AL West, but it really doesn't feel like this is a team equipped to make another deep October run right now.
Toronto Blue Jays
29 of 30
One Sentence Summary: Tough decisions are looming.
The Blue Jays have been arguably the most disappointing team in baseball in 2024, and it's going to force general manager Ross Atkins to be honest with himself both this summer and next winter.
Atkins will have to answer the following questions: Do the Blue Jays believe they can win a World Series with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette as their two offensive centerpieces? Do they believe one or both players will sign with them beyond the 2025 season, and if not is now the time to trade either of them?
Even if the Blue Jays table long-term decisions on Guerrero and Bichette until the offseason, they figure to be active at the trade deadline.
Veterans Justin Turner and Kevin Kiermaier are obvious trade candidates since both are on expiring contracts. More complicated will be if (when) teams call on 33-year-old righty Kevin Gausman, who is in the third season of a five-year, $110 million deal.
Washington Nationals
30 of 30
One Sentence Summary: They're a year away from being a year away.
The worst of the Nationals' rebuild appears to be over, even if Dave Martinez's squad isn't going to be a playoff team in 2024.
You can never replace Juan Soto, but they acquired shortstop CJ Abrams and LHP MacKenzie Gore as part of the trade package from the San Diego Padres two summers ago, both of whom are having strong seasons.
Also looming at Triple-A is outfielder James Wood, another piece of the Soto return. He is going to make his MLB debut at some point in 2024, it's just a matter of when.
Additionally, while there is $10 million in deferrals set to be paid in 2025, the Patrick Corbin contract is set to expire after this season. He did help the Nationals to win their first World Series title in 2019, but his deal has become an albatross in the years since.
Not long ago, this team was one of the bigger spenders in baseball, even if they often relied on deferrals. With a budding young core, they will be able to return to contention in the next couple of seasons if ownership makes a renewed commitment to spending in free agency.
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